


knockin’ me out with those american thighs

by peterandhispirate



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Body Image, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Insecurity, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-25
Updated: 2018-11-25
Packaged: 2019-08-28 23:22:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16732605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peterandhispirate/pseuds/peterandhispirate
Summary: For the first time in his life, Josh would rather die than take his shirt off.





	knockin’ me out with those american thighs

Josh had never been the self-conscious type. Shy? Absolutely. But that didn’t stop him from ripping off his shirt whenever he got the chance, because hearing Tyler wolf-whistle low and hungry never got old.

He liked compliments. That’s not to say he was self-centered, or even confident. There was just something about the way Jenna squeezed his bicep and called him cute that made his face get all warm and pink. So he went to the gym, and he went to the gym, and he went to the gym. He boxed. He ran like he was being chased by the Devil himself. Sometimes Tyler tagged along, but usually he stayed in bed, face buried in Jenna’s shoulder and mumbling for him to hurry back.

Then something happened. What caused this something, Josh couldn’t be sure. All he knew was that sleeping in was starting to seem a lot more appealing than busting his ass at seven in the morning.

“You guys are a bad influence on me,” he insisted on one day in particular, wedged under Tyler’s arm with Jenna combing gentle fingers through his dandelion hair. But the complaints lost their bite under the tenderness, and three minutes later he was fast asleep again.

This newfound sloth combined with Jenna’s cooking sorcery led him down the path to twelve extra pounds. At first he just blew it off as meaningless holiday weight - even Tyler started beefing up when November hit. But Tyler was, well, _Tyler_ ; he looked borderline scrawny no matter what.

Josh didn’t have that luxury.

He started worrying, which was a typical Josh thing to do. In his mind, it was only a matter of time before they started making... comments. Not in a cruel way, necessarily (even though Tyler could be a dick on occasion), but the kind of remarks that made him all embarrassed. What was he supposed to say? “Yeah, sorry I got fat or whatever, I’ll go on one of those juice diets to make up for it.”

No.

Truth be told, he was comfortable with the extra weight. It was the thought of their inevitable reactions that bothered him. What if they got onto him for not taking care of himself or something? It’s not like he was laying around all day doing nothing. He did plenty of stuff.

But maybe it wasn’t enough. Maybe he was disappointing them. God, he’d rather die than disappoint anyone, especially the lights of his life.

Needless to say, he started acting uncharacteristically sheepish. He avoided taking his shirt off at all costs - a big inconvenience for Tyler, who whined about not being able to give him chest hickeys but didn’t really push him. Jenna’s reaction was similar: when Josh started politely declining her pastries, she tried her best not to make him feel guilty, opting to kiss his cheek and say “maybe later, then.”

It didn’t take long for someone to say _something_ , because this was getting ridiculous.

“C’mon, J.” It was a Saturday afternoon and Jenna was leaning over the back of the couch, rubbing his shoulders. “We’re going downtown for ice cream.”

Not even turning to look at her, Josh just shook his head and said, “M’good. You two have fun, though.”

“Your loss, dude,” said Tyler, who was idling by the front door, shifting his weight impatiently from foot to foot. Jenna stopped kneading Josh’s shoulders just look enough to give him a look and say “ _Ty_ ” with both eyebrows raised.

Tyler’s voice went from teasing to concerned in two seconds flat; Josh winced when he heard him move closer. “Is something going on?”

“Nah, I’m just tired.”

“Nice try,” Jenna snorted, moving from behind the couch to the space directly in front of him. “Tyler’s been giving me that same excuse for years. What’s wrong, baby?”

Josh struggled to meet her eyes - twin oceans with fresh worry lapping at their shores. He hated worrying people just as much as he hated disappointing them. “Nothing. Honest.”

Staring expectantly, she just kept on waiting.

“I’m serious,” Josh insisted, getting desperate. He knew how stupid and insecure he would sound if he told the truth.

“Don’t make me tickle it out of you.”

Helpless, Josh glanced from Tyler to Jenna and back again. Was there really no way to weasel out of this? Maybe it was dumb of him to think he could keep his shirt on forever. At that point, there was nothing left to do but open his mouth and hope something sensical came out.

So he sucked in a breath and said, “I’m sorry.”

Jenna’s eyebrows were already furrowing; Josh could feel the nausea bubbling in his stomach start to slide up his throat. “Sorry for what, angel?”

“I, uh. I dunno.” He reached up to scratch at his neck with twitchy fingers before gesturing vaguely at his body. “This? I guess?”

That’s when Jenna blinked a few times and stepped forward, sitting down next to him in one slow movement. Tyler joined them a second or two later, and Josh found himself trapped in a worry sandwich, Jenna squeezing his thigh and Tyler giving him one of those doe-eyed looks the entire time.

“What’s going on, man?” Tyler’s voice was hopelessly soft - soft enough to make a lump form in Josh’s throat.

“I’ve gained a lot of weight recently and I just... I know it’s probably grossing you out. Both of you.”

He was shaking. Why was he shaking? He knew in his heart that they wouldn’t make him feel alienated - not intentionally, anyway.

And yet he still felt shock grip his spine nice and tight when Jenna gave a vigorous shake of her head and grabbed his hand, whispering, “Oh, Josh. Oh, sweetheart. Of _course_ we’re not grossed out. That’s ridiculous.”

“I wouldn’t blame you if you were,” Josh said, swallowing, and Tyler put a firm hand on his shoulder.

“Hey. Look at me.”

Josh looked.

“I wouldn’t give a shit if you were twenty pounds heavier than you are right now. Hell, _forty_ pounds heavier.” Tyler shifted closer, eyes round and dark and filled to the brim with tenderness. “Do y’know why?”

Josh could only sniffle, wordless.

“Because you’re my guy. You’re _my_ guy. My boyfriend. My fucking moon and stars,” Tyler insisted, cradling the side of his face with one hand. “Which means I’m gonna love you not in spite of your weight, but because of it. Because it’s still you, dude.”

By that point, Josh was a pink-faced, snot-nosed mess, but he didn’t object when he noticed Jenna’s hand reaching down to grab the bottom of his shirt. Slowly, tenderly, she lifted it up to expose the softness where his abs had once been. Josh’s breath stalled in his chest; he waited for her to say, “It’s not _that_ bad, I guess.”

But she didn’t say that, because she was Jenna and she would never. She _did_ say, “You really are the cutest. You know that, right?”

He shrugged, bashful, and stole a nervous glance over at Tyler to gauge his reaction. Relief settled over him when he saw the crooked grin and twinkling eyes, and that relief only grew stronger when Tyler leaned down to leave on open-mouthed kiss on Josh’s stomach, warm breath tickling his skin; making him shiver.

“We’ll fuck later,” Tyler assured him once he straightened up. “Right now I want some ice cream. And you’re coming with us.”

“Do you want me to go with or without a shirt?” Josh asked, smiling, and the responses were perfectly in sync:

“Without.”

“Yeah. That’s not happening.”

**Author's Note:**

> @21bastards on tumblr :)


End file.
